Yuki's Quest
by SiFi270
Summary: Yuki decides to take a break from science fiction by reading fantasy instead. But she quickly finds herself lost in a good book, so to speak.
1. Chapter 1

While Yuki Nagato enjoyed a wide variety of books, her favorite genre by far was science fiction (although secretly, romance was a close second). However, today she found herself in the mood for some fantasy, and once she'd found a suitably appealing title in the library, she took it home with her and began to read.

Strangely, Yuki seemed to have more difficulty concentrating on the book than she normally would, as interesting as the premise and its execution seemed. There were times when the words on the page seemed to blur together, and whenever she made herself focus it seemed somehow different from what she last recalled reading.

Finally, she reluctantly accepted that she wasn't getting anywhere and closed the book, staring vacantly at the cover. As she stared longer and longer, the illustration on the cover became increasingly prominent in her vision while everything else seemed to fade away. Eventually, she became so invested in the majestic landscape depicted before her that in her dazed mind, she felt as though she was really there.

Upon feeling a gentle breeze of wind, she was alert again. She was indoors, with the windows closed. There shouldn't have been any wind. But as she looked around, she found herself in a completely different environment, and it was strikingly similar to what she saw on the book's cover.

"Are you okay?"

Upon hearing a familiar voice, Yuki turned towards its source, and she was greeted by the familiar face she associated with that voice, belonging to a friend of hers typically known as 'Kyon'. Judging from his attire, he appeared to be a peasant who specialized in agriculture. Another look at her surroundings reminded Yuki that she was in a field, where someone like him would be expected to work.

"...Kiyoshi?"

"You recognize me?" He said. "I'm afraid I can't say the same for you… But I'll admit, you look familiar."

Yuki was certainly confused by this, but she had no idea how to express it. She was desperate for answers, but she couldn't even work out what the questions were.

"You look a little disoriented," he said. "How did you get here, anyway?"

"I…" Yuki observed her surroundings once again. "I cannot remember…"

Kiyoshi frowned. "Well… Do you live somewhere nearby?"

Yuki tried to rely on her race's superior sense of direction and awareness of her surroundings, but doing so just made her feel lightheaded. As she just barely stopped herself from falling over, Kiyoshi rushed over to her and knelt down.

"Hang in there," he said. "I can take you to my home. It's not much, but you can rest there."

"Thank you," Yuki said, managing to stand with his support.

* * *

Just as he said, Kiyoshi's house wasn't much, but Yuki found it to be very welcoming at the moment, especially considering what one would usually expect from a peasant. As soon as she had permission to sleep in his bed, she did so, and she quickly entered a dreamless sleep.

When she woke up, she wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep, which was just as unfamiliar to her as not being able to determine her location. When she looked over to Kiyoshi, she saw him painting a portrait, and the person in the portrait looked just as familiar to her.

"Who is this?" She said.

"Hm?" Kiyoshi suddenly turned his head, not expecting her to be awake. "Oh, this is Mikuru Asahina. She's the princess of this land."

"She looks wonderful," Yuki said, the words seemingly leaving her mouth without permission.

Kiyoshi chuckled. "I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment to her or my art." He paused before letting out a bitter sigh. "But don't get too attached. In just a few days, she's going to be married."

Yuki felt her heart sink the moment she processed the last word. "...to whom?"

"Her name's Ryoko Asakura," he said. "She's queen of a neighboring kingdom, but I've been hearing rumors that that's only because she murdered the previous ruler. Either way, it's clear that this will be a loveless marriage. Asakura's in it for the power, and Asahina simply has no choice."

Yuki could feel rage building up inside her. "And there is no way to prevent this marriage?"

Kiyoshi shrugged. "You're honestly asking the wrong person. I'm just a peasant, after all."

"Your art looks as though it could earn you a high position in society," Yuki said.

Kiyoshi smiled. "Thanks, but… I don't think I could. You're actually one of the few people to know I even do this. If I showed this to a professional, and they said it was horrible… I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection."

Yuki wasn't sure how to respond to that, so she returned to the subject at hand. "Do you know anybody at all who could do something about this situation?"

"I know someone who _might_ be able to," he said. "But not necessarily someone who would be willing to. She's known as the Mad Mage, and while I know her real name, she wants me to keep it a secret for some reason. If you feel able, I can bring you to her."

A spark of determination was just barely visible in Yuki's eye. "I feel able. Take me there."

* * *

The 'Mad Mage' turned out to be located in an easy-to-miss shack in an alleyway, which was preceded by a number of confusing twists and turns. Yuki wondered if the journey was like this to others as well, or if it was simply because of the disorientation she was feeling after losing her alien senses. Later on, she would conclude that it was a mixture of both.

After Kiyoshi knocked on the door with a rather elaborate pattern, the door seemed to open itself, leading to a room that seemed to be larger than the building that contained it. Yuki felt a vague nausea as she walked inside, but it didn't feel like it would have any physical effect on her.

From within the shadows came an irritable voice. "What brings you here?"

"I've brought someone who has a request for you," Kiyoshi said. "I know how rare clients are for you, so I thought you might appreciate this one."

The shadows suddenly fled from the corner they were in, revealing a figure looking identical to Haruhi Suzumiya. "We'll see if it's worth my time. Let me see her."

Yuki made herself visible from behind Kyon, immediately catching the Mage off guard.

"Are… are you…?" She stopped herself. "...no. You look different, somehow."

"She looked familiar to me as well," Kiyoshi said. "Do you know who she reminds you of?"

The Mage hesitated to answer. "There was a student I had once. One of the best I ever had. There were times when she seemed to understand magic even better than I do. I only knew her by one name… and that was 'Rei'." She suddenly stood from the worn-out chair and leaned uncomfortably close to Yuki, seemingly looking through her pupil. "There's no denying the similarities… No two souls in this world are the same color, but yours and hers are very close."

She leaned away again and reached towards a shelf on her wall, where a number of mystical artifacts lay. After some rummaging, she produced a silver wand with a purple jewel at the tip.

"This was the wand she used," she said, offering it to Yuki. "If you can use it even half as well as she did, I'll know there's more to this than mere coincidence."

Yuki nervously accepted the wand. While she didn't know anything about magic, or at least what the people of this realm referred to as 'magic', she knew what the people of her world would refer to as 'magic', and she was perfectly capable of demonstrating that. She pointed the wand towards a dusty mannequin and muttered under her breath, but she was surprised to find that the words didn't come as quickly as they normally did. At times, she even found herself tripping over them, and in the end nothing happened.

The Mage took the wand from her, a harsh disappointment visible in her eyes. "It's just a coincidence, then. You're free to go now."

"But she still has a request for you," Kiyoshi said.

"I'm not interested in that any more," Haruhi said. "I'm done with her. She can go."

Even if this person wasn't Haruhi, Yuki could still recognize her refusal to take 'no' for an answer. With her head pointing a couple of degrees downward, she turned and left, and Kiyoshi eventually followed.

She had never felt so powerless in her life, and not just in a literal sense.

* * *

A/N: I began writing this after planning considerably less than I normally would before starting something. But more and more ideas are coming to me, so I guess we'll see how this goes.


	2. Chapter 2

"Kyon! Kyon!"

Yuki learned two new things from hearing this. The first was that this world's version of Kiyoshi was known as 'Kyon' just like the original, and the second was that his younger sister, Kokoro, also existed in this world. Also, it seemed she had bad news.

"What is it?" Kyon said.

"There's a dragon in the village!" She said. "It's already burned down our house. We need to get the Mage!"

"A dragon?!" Kyon said. "Is everyone okay?"

"They're being evacuated right now," Kokoro said, uncomfortably dodging the exact question. "But there's no time to talk about that!"

Kyon nodded and turned around. He was the only one in his village who could consistently find the Mad Mage's hideout, and while the Mage was typically regarded as a pariah by anyone who'd even heard of her, some people would occasionally ask Kyon to bring them to her when they saw no other solution to their problem. Normally, she would simply dismiss them as 'boring', but Kyon was fairly confident that wouldn't be the case this time.

* * *

"A dragon?" The Mage raised an eyebrow skeptically. "In _your_ village of all places?"

"Even if I did know the reason," he said, "there'd be no time to explain. Just come with us, okay?"

"Fine." She stood from her chair in what, for the second time that day, looked to Yuki like the first time in years. "Let's see this 'dragon' then. Kokoro, you stay here."

* * *

When they found the dragon, it had a dark blue hide, and an appearance that Yuki would find intimidating even if she did still have her powers. Every time she looked at it, it seemed taller than last time she'd looked, and even the Mad Mage seemed worried.

"Okay, so I wasn't expecting it to be a real full-grown dragon," she said. "You'd be surprised how many things around this area can be mistaken for dra…" She suddenly cast a quick spell in Kyon's direction, throwing him from the spot where the dragon's foot soon landed. Her next spell was more complex, opening the already ruined ground beneath the dragon, but it responded simply by leaping upwards and landing nearby with a powerful shockwave.

This seemed to take the Mage by surprise, causing her to lose her balance somewhat. It was during her struggle to stay upright that caused something to fall from her robes, which Yuki was quick to notice. It was Rei's wand, and its presence raised a lot of questions.

Yuki turned to Kyon. "Are some wands more powerful than others?"

"You're asking the wrong person," he said. "And the right person seems to be occup…" He stopped himself when a rather confusing turn of events unfolded before them.

It seemed that the dragon had also noticed the wand, and the very sight of it had caused it to turn away and direct its carnage elsewhere.

"It's…" Kyon's eyes widened as the implications hit him. "It's headed for the castle!" He ran after the dragon as it took flight, knowing all too well that doing so would be pointless unless the others also chose to follow.

Before she could join them, Yuki found herself staring at Rei's wand, once again wondering why the Mage had brought it with her. She didn't see her pick it up as she left, so it was entirely possible she already had it on her person before they arrived. But now, she felt as if the wand was calling to her, and her hurried mind saw no reason to refuse the call. There was still a chance the Mage needed it for something, so she picked it up and ran after the others.

* * *

Ever since her marriage to Ryoko was arranged, Princess Mikuru found herself spending every day wandering anxiously around the castle. Nothing could take her mind off her undesirable fate, but today something felt especially wrong. Every moment she remained idle, she felt as though she was waiting for a disaster of some kind, and she felt as though it wasn't the marriage, since this one felt like it would arrive sooner.

This conundrum eventually began to frustrate her to the point that she was wondering about it out loud, at which point her questions were quickly answered by distant cries of "dragon!"

That word alone was enough to freeze her in place. All her life, there were no dragons to worry about in her kingdom, as many of them would hardly find it to be habitable. Nothing had prepared her, or anybody else, for something like this.

Even as it advanced closer to the castle, Mikuru stayed in her vulnerable little tower, knowing somehow that it was her it was after, and not wanting it to tear through the whole castle to get to her. While it certainly sounded noble, she didn't feel at all brave as she fell to her knees and sobbed, waiting for a fate she still hadn't fully accepted.

When the dragon grabbed the tower she was in, the whole room shook before she slammed into a wall, and soon she was paralyzed not only by her fear but by the throbbing pain in her bones. She barely registered when the dragon suddenly turned around and dropped the tower, only coming to her senses when the fall seemed to slow down and the tower landed gently on the ground.

When she finally felt able to, she poked her head outside and found the dragon looming over what appeared to be a powerful magician and two of her associates. The magician in question looked exhausted, and Mikuru soon concluded it was a result of her having 'caught' the tower. Her panicked mind concluded that it was her fault the magician wasn't in perfect condition, and her guilt only increased when this finally lead to the magician's defeat, with the dragon forcefully knocking her down with a swipe of its claws.

Mikuru's attention returned again to the magician's associates, but it was only now that she truly _noticed_ one of them: A girl with short violet hair and unfamiliar clothing. Because she was holding a wand, Mikuru reasoned that she was also a magician, but she reconsidered this deduction when the girl seemed to do nothing as the dragon returned its attention to Mikuru.

The dragon's head turned.

Mikuru felt an uncomfortable shrinking sensation.

The dragon's body followed.

Mikuru took a step back.

The dragon advanced towards her.

Mikuru went into a fetal position and closed her eyes as tightly as possible.

The dragon prepared to attack.

Mikuru prayed for a miracle.

And her prayer was answered.

The dragon suddenly stopped what it was doing and looked at its tail, which was steadily being engulfed by ice. Before it could even react, the rest of its body soon followed, and after a silent moment of it being literally frozen in shock, its entire body shattered into thousands of tiny pieces, each one quickly melting as soon as it reached the ground.

Once there was nothing left of it, Mikuru looked at the people it had turned its back on, and the violet haired girl was pointing the wand forward with both hands, panting heavily. And it was at that moment that Mikuru finally realized what made the girl stand out moments before.

She was in love with her.

* * *

A/N: I'm surprised how much pressure I feel under from the one review I have. When the only person who seems interested in your story says it shows potential, then you'd better live up to that potential.


	3. Chapter 3

"I knew it!" The Mage said. "...well, I hoped it anyway. You have the potential to be a great magician, but you just need the motivation."

"Hold on..." Kyon glared accusingly. "You didn't plan all this, did you?"

"The dragon? No," she said. "But I _did_ plan to bring the wand, I _did_ plan to drop it, and I _did_ have a backup plan in case she really didn't have any magical ability. Trust me, I had this all figured out from the moment the word 'dragon' left your mouth. Also, it looks like I earned you some favor with the royal family."

Kyon and Yuki turned in the direction she was looking towards to find the king and queen of the land, Itsuki Asahina and Himeko Asahina, née Tsuruya. Yuki was fairly unsurprised to see them as Mikuru's parents in this world, as in her own, she'd already deduced that the two were Mikuru's ancestors.

"Forsooth, y'all!" Said the Queen. "We've been hearing about what you've done for our daughter, and you've _totally_ earned our favor! We'd just like to know: Is there _anything _we can do in return?"

Kyon leaned towards Yuki and whispered. "This could be a good chance to…"

"My friend and his sister lost their home when the dragon attacked," Yuki said, gesturing towards Kyon. "I will consider this debt repaid if you are able to provide them with somewhere to stay."

Kyon was taken aback by this request, having expected her to inquire about another matter. Once he'd accepted what she'd said instead, he felt it appropriate to make a request of his own.

"I should probably mention," he said, "my house was also the closest thing she had to a home. If my sister and I getting somewhere to stay out of this, I honestly think she should as well."

The King rubbed his chin and hummed thoughtfully. "That could certainly be arranged. There are a number of inns to choose from in this town, and we can easily convince any one of them to let you stay free of ch…" He stopped as he felt his daughter tapping him on the shoulder. As he turned his head, she whispered nervously into his ear. He was rather surprised to hear what she asked of him, but since it was so rare for her to make such a request at all, he saw no problem with granting it.

"It seems there's been a change of plan," he said. "Our daughter has offered to let you stay in the guest quarters of our castle, not only as a token of gratitude, but so you can protect her more easily should another emergency arise."

"Oh." That was all Yuki could say, and Kyon certainly seemed to agree with the sentiment. Yuki was only broken out of her dumbfoundedness when the Mage leaned over and spoke to her.

"Meet with me this evening," she said. "I'll send over my sprite to come and get you, and then I'll teach you as much magic as I can."

* * *

While Mikuru had a room to herself in the guest quarters, she found herself spending a lot more time in Yuki's, where she had a number of questions for the mysterious girl. Yuki's answers were truly fascinating to her, telling of a world she had great difficulty comparing to the one she was currently in, with stories that stretched the imagination even in a world of magic.

"It sounds amazing," Mikuru said breathlessly. "And what about the other people of this world? Are they also like you?"

"That is one of the stranger things," Yuki said. "Ever since I found myself in this world, nearly everybody I have met has been identical to someone I know in the other world, in name, appearance, and behavior."

"Everyone?" Mikuru said. "Does that include me?"

Yuki nodded.

"Oh…" Mikuru blushed and laughed nervously. "I suppose I'm at a disadvantage then. You know more about me than I do about you."

Unconsciously, Yuki leaned closer towards her. "In that case… Perhaps we should get to know each other bett-"

_Knock knock._

Upon hearing the sound, Yuki suddenly became aware of her position and immediately sat upright again. She wondered if the Mage's sprite was here as promised, although evening was a couple of hours away. She soon got her answer when the guest let themselves in, and she could barely hide her distaste upon recognizing them.

"Ryoko Asakura."

"Oh?" Ryoko diverted her attention from Mikuru. "It seems my reputation precedes me. And you are?"

Yuki stood to attention. "My name is Yuki Nagato. I assume you have heard about the dragon attack earlier today?"

Ryoko winced slightly. "I have. That's actually why I came here in such a hurry. I take it you're the one who defeated it then."

Yuki nodded.

"Well, you have my congratulations," Ryoko said. "But you'll have to excuse me. I have private matters to discuss with my bride-to-be."

Yuki stayed where she was, not wanting to leave Mikuru alone with someone so dangerous.

"Please, don't make this difficult." Ryoko sighed. "I'm already exhausted from my journey here, and I can't let you waste my time like this." After another period of silence, she stepped closer to Yuki and looked her dead in the eye. "Are you listening to me? _Get…_"

Without warning, she suddenly took a step back, as if she was intimidated. Yuki was still wearing the same blank expression she always wore, so it was unclear what change, if any, provoked this reaction from Ryoko.

"I have to go and rest now," she said, "but I'll be back later." She began to leave the room, keeping an eye on Yuki while avoiding direct eye contact.

The next couple of hours were rather uncomfortable for both Yuki and Mikuru, and it was a great relief to the former when the Mage's sprite arrived to collect her.

A significant part of this relief came from who this sprite resembled: Yasumi Watahashi, a mysterious and totally _adorable_ being created from Haruhi's subconscious to help the rest of the Brigade through near-catastrophic situations. The sight of her put a smile on even Mikuru's face, despite the two being strangers in this world.

"Yuki Nagato?" She said, smiling politely. "The Mage will see you now."

* * *

"Before we begin," Yuki said, "I must confess that your sprite intrigues me, and I would like to learn the nature of these beings." She mentioned nothing about her intent to compare the world she was in to the one she knew.

"There's really not that much to them," the Mage said. "They're one of many beings an experienced magician can create at the cost of a piece of their soul. Some create them for companionship, some as an extra pair of hands… for me, I guess it was both."

"Once you have sacrificed this piece of your soul," Yuki said, "is there any way to regain it?"

"Well, if you're not too attached to _the very being you gave life to_," she said distastefully, "you can always just change it back. Also, if a being created this way is killed somehow, the person who created them will be physically exhausted until their soul regenerates."

For a few seconds, gears turned in Yuki's head. Finally, a realization hit her, and she felt it important to share it with the Mage.

"You said many beings can be created through this method," she said. "Would that include… a dragon?"

The Mage shuddered. "That would require _legendary_ magical ability, and a very large piece of the magician's soul. You're not suggesting…?"

"I encountered Ryoko Asakura earlier today," Yuki said. "She was physically exhausted, as you said. And now that I think about it… Do you have a map?"

Once the Mage had retrieved one, Yuki inspected it closely, glad to realize in the process that, despite her losing all of her superhuman powers from one world to another, she still had a mind on par with a calculator. She quickly marked all of the important locations: Kiyoshi's village, where they were when Kokoro told them about the dragon, and both Ryoko and Mikuru's castles.

She calculated how long it would take Kokoro to reach her and Kiyoshi with the news. She calculated how far Ryoko would have to travel to reach the site of the dragon's defeat, and how long that would take her with the mode of transportation the Mage said she was most likely to take. And things weren't adding up.

"Judging by when she finally arrived at Mikuru's castle," Yuki said, "she would have to have left over an hour before the news would logically reach her."

The Mage frowned and placed a hand to her chin. "You do realize that if you're right about all of this… then Ryoko Asakura is one of the most powerful magicians alive?"

"Perhaps," Yuki said. "However, there this yet one more detail about her that concerns me, and I have only recently formed a theory in regards to it. When she began to lose her temper with me, she looked me directly in the eye, but after doing so she appeared to be afraid of me. Am I correct in believing that you determined the color of my soul by looking into my eye?"

It was only now that the Mage was beginning to struggle with the implications. "...We'd better get to work. If she really is as powerful as it seems, and if you really are the reincarnation of Rei…

"...then you could be this kingdom's only hope."

* * *

A/N: wait hold on let me throw in another twist

ahem

"and then Kyon was a zombie"


End file.
